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AP Reporter misrepresents herself to get interview with Steinbrenner

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by YankeeFan, May 27, 2007.

  1. expendable

    expendable Well-Known Member

    Yeah, I wonder if she told him she was recording it?
     
  2. jambalaya

    jambalaya Member

    Granny doesn't have a secretary, or a multitude of flaks at her disposal, either.
     
  3. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    Considering how difficult it is to get access to just about any athlete or coach or GM or owner, I have no problem with someone getting sneaky to get access...

    I'm all for outsmarting the flaks...
     
  4. Ben_Hecht

    Ben_Hecht Active Member

    This HAS to be done . . . and I'm delighted to be the one doing it:

    Thanks for checking in, Howard.
     
  5. Screwball

    Screwball Active Member

    This was already addressed, and more effectively, in the NY Daily News on Saturday:


    Brian Cashman's cell phone rings a lot, and when it does, he often hears much of the very same stuff three or four times a day directly from George Steinbrenner.

    But yesterday was different, because Steinbrenner had sounded off to somebody outside the organization, for the record and for public consumption. A veteran court reporter for the Associated Press, Pat Milton, called Steinbrenner in Tampa on Thursday night, and the Boss picked up the phone for once and spoke his mind to the woman who had diligently covered his messy legal proceedings with Howie Spira in 1990.
     
  6. for_the_hunt

    for_the_hunt Member

    I wish I could find the old thread, but this situation seems EXACTLY like The New York Post debacle a couple months ago when a news reporter misrepresented herself so she could speak with an inmate.

    I can only speak in generalities because I don't remember the details, but isn't this the same thing?

    The curious thing is, on that thread, it was several pages of bashing and questioning her journalistic integrity. Here, in this situation, it seems more people are applauding the AP than bashing it. What's the difference?

    Misrepresentation is misrepresentation. The ends doesn't justify the means.
     
  7. Screwball, thanks for clearing that up. It would appear that indeed Pat was an old acquaintance of Steinbrenner's, therefore, she didn't pull anything at all and we can stop wringing our hands over this.
     
  8. Ben_Hecht

    Ben_Hecht Active Member

    George III knew who she was . . . or should have. Sadly for the Steinbrenner family, that IS an open question, at this point.
     
  9. SF_Express

    SF_Express Active Member

    I think this puts this in the "it was fine" category.
     
  10. Smasher_Sloan

    Smasher_Sloan Active Member

    So the bottom line on all of this is that Steinbrenner is disappointed in the Yankees being buried in the AL East, and plans to hold the GM accountable?

    Who knew?
     
  11. Shaggy

    Shaggy Guest

    This reminds me of a story that an old reporter told me once. A sports icon (I'm not going to say who) was on his deathbed at a local hospital. The media was corralled outside of the hospital, not given any information on the icon's state and not allowed in to try and find any.

    Reporter's boss told reporter to misrepresent himself to get into the hospital and find something out.

    Is this any different? Would you "outsmark the flaks" and say you're a long-lost grandson or long lost buddy to get access to a man's deathbed?

    Frankly, I sure as hell wouldn't. Nor would I misrepresent myself to anyone shielding any source.
     
  12. Double J

    Double J Active Member

    Something like that happened during the 1966-67 NHL season. Toronto coach/GM Punch Imlach took sick and left the team, which would not reveal his whereabouts to the media. An enterprising Toronto reporter overheard a club executive mention the hospital where Punch apparently was, so he went down to the hospital, put on a white coat like the doctors wore and walked around with a clipboard until he found Punch's room. Then he went in, sat down on Punch's bed and got the scoop.

    In regards to Steinbrenner, maybe he agreed to talk to Pat Milton because he knew that she would know the name of that song that's been on his mind all these years: "Heartbreaker, love-taker, Brubaker, run this prison like a man..."
     
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